Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-12
2001-01-23
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2754)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
C369S075110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178061
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hard disk drive unit and a method of manufacturing the drive unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A hard disk drive unit is provided with: a motor mounted on a base member of a housing; and a swing arm (i.e., head arm) which is provided with a magnetic head in its front-end portion. By means of the magnetic head, data is stored in a magnetic disk and retrieved from an arbitrary position of the magnetic disk. On the other hand, hitherto, the base member of the housing of the hard disk drive unit is manufactured by using a casting process or a press working. A casting product
11
of the base member shown in
FIG. 7
is manufactured by using a casting process as follows:
(1) an aluminum base member is manufactured by using a die-casting process;
(2) then, gases such as air and the like confined within cavities, stains such as rust and like foreign matters are removed from the base member, the gases being fatal to the hard disk in performance;
(3) further, in order to keep the surface of the base member clean, the surface of the base member is treated with suitable chemicals and/or painted, i.e., coated with suitable films;
(4) the thus treated base member is then machined to be precisely dimensioned; and
(5) finally, the thus machined base member is washed out stains to keep itself clean.
However, the above-mentioned casting process of the base member is disadvantageous in that:
(a) the number of the necessary steps of the casting process is too large;
(b) it is necessary to take measures to prevent the cavities from being formed in the casting process;
(c) when the cavities are formed, it is very difficult to completely remove the stains such as oils and the like from the cavities, and, therefore very difficult to keep the base member clean, which makes it necessary to close the cavities in the base member with suitable coatings, or to treat the surface of the base member with suitable chemicals so as to clean the surface and prevent the rust from being produced in the surface;
(d) metallic molds required in the casing process are very expensive; and
(e) this increases the manufacturing cost of the base member.
In case of the press working, as shown in
FIG. 8
, an aluminum base plate
12
is subjected to the press working to form a concave portion
14
and a plurality of holes
15
therein. Then, a frame member
13
, which is a sheet metal pressing, is fixedly mounted on each of opposite sides of the base plate
12
.
The above-mentioned press working is free from the cavity problem inherent in the casing process, and, therefore advantageous in keeping the surface of the base member clean. However, the press working suffers from the following problems:
(a) although the frame
13
member is a sheet metal pressing, the number of press working steps for manufacturing the frame member
13
is too large since the frame member
13
is very complex in configuration;
(b) an additional step for fixedly mounting the frame member
13
on the base plate
12
is required, in which additional step the frame member
13
must be strictly controlled in mounting position and mounting strength; and
(c) this increases the manufacturing cost of a subassembly
12
,
13
thus constructed of the base plate
12
and the frame member
13
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Under such circumstances, the present invention was made. Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hard disk drive unit and a method of manufacturing the drive unit, which are free from the above-mentioned problems, excellent in precision, reduce the number of manufacturing steps, and further reduce the manufacturing cost thereof.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, the above object of the present invention is accomplished by providing:
A hard disk drive unit comprising:
a base plate, which assumes a predetermined shape in cross-section so as to form a pair of frame portions in its opposite sides, is made of metal, formed by using an extrusion process, and provided with a concave portion with a central hole through which a motor is mounted on the base plate and a mounting hole through which a swing arm is mounted on the base plate;
the motor, which is provided with a spindle and has the spindle mounted in the central hole of the concave portion of the base plate in an insertion manner; and
the swing arm, which has its base portion pivotally supported by a pivot through a bearing, the pivot being mounted on the base plate through the mounting hole.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the above object of the present invention is accomplished by providing:
A method for manufacturing a hard disk drive unit, comprising the steps of:
forcing a billet through a die to produce an elongated extruded product having a predetermined cross-sectional shape provided with a pair of frame portions in its opposite sides;
cutting the extruded product to form a half-finished product having a predetermined length;
forming the half-finished product into a base plate by subjecting the half-finished product to a press working, the base plate being provided with a concave portion and a hole;
mounting a magnetic disk drive motor in the concave portion of the base plate; and
mounting a pivot in the hole of the base plate, the pivot supporting a bearing through which a base portion of a swing arm is pivotally supported.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4779666 (1988-10-01), Ruhlandt et al.
patent: 4864705 (1989-09-01), Guntly et al.
patent: 5025335 (1991-06-01), Stefansky
patent: 5049318 (1991-09-01), Guntly et al.
patent: 5329412 (1994-07-01), Stefansky
patent: 5541787 (1996-07-01), Jabbari et al.
patent: 5765275 (1998-06-01), Obara
patent: 63-108938 (1988-05-01), None
Klimowicz William
Minebea Kabushiki -Kaisha
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